In ancient China, the eldest son succeeded to the throne. Why are there so few eldest sons who really inherit the throne?

First, the eldest son, as the name implies, is the son born to the queen, but sometimes the queen doesn't have a son at all, so naturally there is no such thing as the eldest son inheriting the throne.

Although the eldest son is extremely noble, it is still unknown whether the queen can give birth to the eldest son. After all, having boys and girls is beyond people's control. Some queens have stayed in the harem all their lives without children of their own, and naturally there is no eldest son.

Second, even if there is an eldest son, who can say for sure about life and death? Many emperors lived longer than their eldest son, which means that the eldest son died before he succeeded to the throne.

There are many emperors in history who lived longer than their eldest son. Some eldest sons died young because they were born weak and sick, while others were framed to death by a willing heart. For example, Zhu Yuanzhang and his prince Zhu Biao in history, Zhu Biao died at the age of 30, but Zhu Yuanzhang was still alive at the age of 64.

Third, many princes were ousted from the throne because of misconduct or being framed by others before they succeeded to the throne. Naturally, they cannot inherit the throne.

For example, Yong Yang, the prince of the Sui Wendi period, is a good example. Because of his bad behavior, Yong Yang always likes extravagance and waste, knowing that he has nothing to do all day. Finally, Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty abolished the Prince. In history, some princes were finally pulled down from the position of princes because they made too many enemies.

Fourth, like Yongzheng's experience, the nine sons ascended the throne is not uncommon in history. Many princes were brutally killed by their own brothers. Life is gone, let alone inherit the throne. This is the cruelty of being born in the royal family. People who can ascend to the throne rarely step on other people's bodies.